Child star successes

October 3, 2011 1:39 PM

The Hollywood machine loves a fresh-faced, button-nosed, apple-cheeked, sassy child performer. Once that precocious kid dares to grow up, however, the system is not kind.

The unfortunate trend is that for every well-adjusted former child star, there are two troubled Coreys. Behind them is a staggering rogues gallery of has-beens such as Lindsay Lohan, Dustin Diamond, and so on, with each of them doing one or more of the following: falling down drunk, overdosing on drugs, crashing a car, committing a crime and/or making a porno. Or they end up stuck in a purgatory of appearing in one reality TV show after another. At worst, their demons lead them to an early demise.

Happily, however, some child stars, such as Natalie Portman, Anna Paquin, and Leonardo DiCaprio, do transition smoothly into acclaimed adult acting careers. Others venture into different fields altogether.
We assembled a list of child stars that have moved on from acting (for the most part) to achieve success in other fields—a handful still in the entertainment world. Click ahead to see where they are now.

Shirley Temple Black
Best known as: The sunny, dimpled, sausage-curled, tap-dancing cutie of the "Good Ship Lollypop" is one of the original child stars.

What she’s been up to since then: The actress retired in 1950, though she made some appearances after that. She once sat on boards of corporations such as The Walt Disney Co., she ran for Congress, and she served as an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She also wrote a best-selling memoir, "Child Star."
You can still catch her in: Now 83, and having worked since she was a tyke, we say Shirley Temple Black has earned a break from doing anything.

What he’s been up to since then: Now 35, Savage has directed the great TV comedies “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Party Down,” as well as episodes of “Franklin & Bash,” “Modern Family,” and many more.
You can still catch him in: The TV movie “Being Bin Laden” and voiceovers on the animated TV series “Generator Rex.”

What he’s been up to since then: Now 37, Cohen is a Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer and a partner at Cohen Gardner. In 2008, the Hollywood Reporter named him one of the top 35 entertainment executives under 35. He also writes articles for Backstage, covering business and legal trends in the entertainment industry.
You can still catch him in: Cohen hasn’t acted since 1991, but he was known to do the Truffle Shuffle on the sidelines of games while an undergrad at University of California, Berkeley.

Mayim BialikBest known as: The kookily clad individualist Blossom in the 1990s TV sitcom of the same name.

What she’s been up to since then: Oh, not too much. She only earned a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA after turning down Harvard and Yale universities. Now 35, Bialik is a mom, and, while not a neuroscientist, she plays one on TV.
You can still catch her in: “The Big Bang Theory” and the upcoming movie release “The Chicago 8.”

Robbie RistBest known as: In his role as Cousin Oliver from the 1970s big-happy-family sitcom, “The Brady Bunch,” his character pioneered the TV tactic of adding a cute little kid to a cast when the other kids were getting too old.

What he’s been up to since then: Now 47, Robbie is a pop musician and producer who has performed in hundreds of West Coast bands, one of the current ones being Your Favorite Trainwreck. Less recently, he supplied the voice of Michelangelo in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film series.
You can still catch him in: The voiceover in the video games “Final Fantasy XIII” and “Terminator Salvation.”

Robbie Rist
Best known as: In his role as Cousin Oliver from the 1970s big-happy-family sitcom, “The Brady Bunch,” his character pioneered the TV tactic of adding a cute little kid to a cast when the other ... more

Photo: Paramount Television/Redwood Productions, Myspace.com

Robbie Rist
Best known as: In his role as Cousin Oliver from... Photo-1643433.31217 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Peter BillingsleyBest known as: Ralphie, the kid who wanted nothing more than a Red Ryder carbine action BB gun, from the 1983 film "A Christmas Story."

What he’s been up to since then: Now 40, Billingsley directed the film "Couples Retreat," he executive produced "Four Christmases" and "Iron Man," as well as a stage musical production of "A Christmas Story."
You can still catch him in: Billingsley has made a few film cameos and had a small role in "Iron Man."

Ron HowardBest known as: In the 1960s, he became famous as the pint-sized redhead Opie Taylor from TV’s “The Andy Griffith Show,” and in the next decade he played Richie Cunningham in the TV sitcom “Happy Days.”

What he’s been up to since then: Now 64, he’s an accomplished director and producer, with recent producing titles including “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Restless,” and “The Dilemma.” Recent directing credits for upcoming films include “Under the Banner of Heaven” and “Rush.”
You can still catch him in: The voiceover narration of the promised “Arrested Development” movie. (Here’s hoping!)

Ron Howard
Best known as: In the 1960s, he became famous as the pint-sized redhead Opie Taylor from TV’s “The Andy Griffith Show,” and in the next decade he played Richie Cunningham in the TV sitcom ... more

Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, WireImage/Getty Images

Ron Howard
Best known as: In the 1960s, he became famous as the... Photo-1643434.31217 - Beaumont Enterprise